Andriy Biletsky, in black T-shirt, commander of Ukraine's Azov battalion (Tom Parfitt)

In Marinka, on the western outskirts, the battalion was sent forward ahead of tanks and armoured vehicles of the Ukrainian armys 51st Mechanised Brigade. A ferocious close-quarters fight ensued as they got caught in an ambush laid by well-trained separatists, who shot from 30 yards away. The Azov irregulars replied with a squall of fire, fending off the attack and seizing a rebel checkpoint.

Mr Grek, also known as Balagan, died in the battle and 14 others were wounded. Speaking after the ceremony Andriy Biletsky, the battalions commander, told the Telegraph the operation had been a 100% success. The battalion is a family and every death is painful to us but these were minimal losses, he said. Most important of all, we established a bridgehead for the attack on Donetsk. And when that comes we will be leading the way.

The military achievement is hard to dispute. By securing Marinka the battalion widened the front and tightened the circle, around the rebels capital, as another fighter put it. While Vladimir Putin, Russias president, prevaricates about sending an invasion force into Ukraine, the rebels he backs are losing ground fast.

But Kievs use of volunteer paramilitaries to stamp out the Russian-backed Donetsk and Luhansk peoples republics, proclaimed in eastern Ukraine in March, should send a shiver down Europes spine. Recently formed battalions such as Donbas, Dnipro and Azov, with several thousand men under their command, are officially under the control of the interior ministry but their financing is murky, their training inadequate and their ideology often alarming.

The Azov men use the neo-Nazi Wolfsangel (Wolfs Hook) symbol on their banner and members of the battalion are openly white supremacists, or anti-Semites.

The Azov battalion uses the neo-Nazi Wolfsangel (Wolf''s Hook) symbol on its banner (Tom Parfitt)

Personally, Im a Nazi, said Phantom, a 23-year-old former lawyer at the ceremony wearing camouflage and holding a Kalashnikov. I dont hate any other nationalities but I believe each nation should have its own country. He added: We have one idea: to liberate our land from terrorists.

The Telegraph was invited to see some 300 Azov fighters pay respects to Mr Grek, their first comrade to die since the battalion was formed in May. An honour guard fired volleys into the air at the battalions headquarters on the edge of Urzuf, a small beach resort on Ukraines Azov Sea coast. Two more militiamen died on Sunday fighting north of Donetsk <>. Petro Poroshenko, Ukraines president, called one of them a hero.

Each new recruit receives only a couple of weeks of training before joining the battalion. The interior ministry and private donors provide weapons.

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Ukraine crisis: the neo-Nazi brigade fighting pro-Russian separatists

Ils sont beaux les gazebos
Symposium de Prvost - Juillet 2014.

By: Clodius Sallin

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Ils sont beaux les gazebos - Video

A GREAT garage sale with bargains galore, raised a whopping 2,100 for charity.

Despite the downpours, more than 450 went to the event the 11th of its kind.

Pride in Oldham winner Iris Last (76) and her husband Roy (79) held the sale for Cancer Research UK at Haigh Lane in Chadderton, with nine gazebos shielding all kinds of goods, from books and cakes to pictures.

Over the years, the couple have raised thousands of pounds for the charity, of which Iris is the treasurer for the Chadderton and Oldham committee.

Iris said: We did really well despite the horrible weather. So many came out to support us. We had about 25 helpers too, so we just want to say a massive thank you to them.

In its first year, Mr and Mrs Last raised 949.

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Rolls Royce of garage sales

The occupation of Stafford Hospital began by accident.

Campaigner Julian Porter, 47, had been making a shelter in the garden with his four-year-old son. Leo really wanted a door on it, Julian says. So I used one of the placards from the hospital protests. It looked great so I took a photo of it and put it on Facebook.

That week Support Stafford Hospital campaigners had their appeal against a decision to turn down their application for a judicial review rejected.

It was a major blow to their campaign to save maternity, intensive care and A&E services.

I wrote Had enough, Im occupying the hospital, says Julian, who runs a climbing centre. It was a wind-up, a joke. The tent was in my back garden.

His phone started ringing. People had turned up at the hospital ready to camp. They said Were with you, Julian, but we cant find you.

Councillor Chris Baron, 67, was among those whod gone to the hospital. I nearly killed Julian, she says. But then I realised that camping was exactly what we needed to do.

Today is Day 20 of the hospital occupation. Over the past three weeks the protest has grown to 30 tents and around 100 people.

When I visited last week, families were sitting under gazebos sharing a Victoria sponge, watching children playing in a paddling pool. Older kids were kicking a football about.

Only the presence of nurses and a couple of patched-up patients stopped it looking like a holiday park.

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Joke hospital protest that became the people's fight

TRAIN wrecks don't come much trashier than The Bachelor Australia.

And while the temptation to criticise is as strong as "the crazy" is in many of the bachelorettes, I think it's time to focus on the positives we can take away from this show.

It is good for feminism. Clearly.

If we agree that feminism is essentially about equality, and that the balance of power has been unfairly tipped in favour of blokes for, oh, ever, then what better way to redress the imbalance than placing 25 women in a televised catfight for one man?

I'm no maths genius, but I know 25 is a bigger number than one, and women are in the majority here. Give us the white rose for victory.

Feel our power. Hear us roar.

This show is good for home decorators in that the sheer volume of lanterns, candles, cushions, fairy lights, flowers, gazebos and horrid wallpaper has your internal "I must go to Bunnings this Saturday" sensor doing an incessant involuntary twitch. However, please note: the nation's shelves may be empty of these things for between 10 and 14 working days, as every last stick of these items was sent to Channel Ten.

It's good for stomach-clearing.

"The mansion furniture" has its own tab on the network website and I defy anyone to click through the images and not bring up their lunch.

This show is good for people with funny names. I am looking at you Osher and Tiarnar and trying not to laugh as I do it.

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OPINION: The Bachelor Australia good for feminism

Best Gazebos for Hot Tubs
What are the best gazebos for hot tubs? General manager Mike Nikahi from Black Pine Spas talks over the different options available and the benefits of using a gazebo for your hot tub. Gazebo...

By: Black Pine Spas

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Best Gazebos for Hot Tubs - Video

Highland, NY (PRWEB) August 02, 2014

Kristin Hawley, a mother of two from Highland, NY, is the winner of a brand new Springfree Trampoline, thanks to the Best in Backyards Start-of-Summer Giveaway.

Hawley was one of thousands of people to enter the month-long contest, which called for an email address and a "like" on the Best in Backyards Facebook page. She was "shocked" when she learned she won the prize, and Kellan, her 3-year-old son, was just ecstatic.

"We actually thought it was a joke when we saw the email," Hawley said.

The 8-foot, round trampoline was delivered and installed by Best in Backyards' factory-trained professionals. Hawley was impressed with how quickly the team got the trampoline up and ready for her little one. "The guys set it up super quick," Hawley said. "I think it took all of 10 minutes to put it all together, and it's wonderful.

The Start-of-Summer Giveaway is the latest in contests hosted by Best in Backyards. Prizes vary, and have included $500 store gift certificates.

"We love seeing the smiles on children's faces as they enjoy our products, from the Eastern Jungle Gym swing sets to the Goalsetter basketball systems to the Springfree Trampolines," said Rolf Zimmermann, the vice president of sales for Best in Backyards.

Best in Backyards is proud to sell Springfree trampolines, which come with top-of-the-line safety features. With Springfree trampolines, the jumping area is free of hard surfaces. The metal springs used on most traditional trampolines are replaced with fiberglass rods; the frame is hidden by a SoftEdge mat; and a FlexiNet enclosure relies on bendable rods, instead of rigid steel poles, to help prevent falls. Plus, the zipper helps parents decide whose turn it is to bounce.

About Best in Backyards With six locations in Connecticut and New York, Best in Backyards is a leading retail provider of sell wood swing sets, storage sheds, outdoor kitchen islands, pergolas, pavilions, gazebos, pool houses, retractable awnings, basketball systems and trampolines. Best in Backyards is a branch of Eastern Jungle Gym, a leading supplier of cedar play sets for more than 22 years.

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Lucky Family Wins Springfree Trampoline Giveaway, Courtesy of Best in Backyards

CONWAY, SC (WMBF) - The coundown is on. Beginning August 1, the Coastal Carolina University Campus will be smoke-free for both students and faculty.

Coastal Carolina officials refer to this as a "soft start" for the students and full faculty that will not be arriving for a couple of weeks. However that does not mean they will be lenient with this new policy.

The University's Board of Trustees approved the policy in December.

CCU officials felt it was time to jump on board with the smoke-free initiative that other college and university campuses have already put in place.

In South Carolina, 23 campuses have approved going tobacco-free.

The Director of News and Public Affairs for CCU explained they took many things into account before making the decision.

They looked at studies that show as a whole, students who don't smoke have higher GPAs and not only that, but the health risks for even second-hand smokers sparked a huge student backing.

CCU officials feel it was time to be proactive instead of reactive to a mandate forcing them to ban smoking. The reason behind this online countdown is for the word to travel -- no more tobacco products on campus at all not even e-cigarettes.

"So that everybody's ready. we want everyone to know about this and be prepared for the transition from having smoking allowed in just a few sections of campus to no longer having tobacco allowed on campus at all," explained Martha Hunn, Director of News and Public Affairs.

All tobacco products will be banned from Coastal Carolina University grounds. Hunn said that means people will not be able to smoke in their cars either.

The rest is here:
The coast Is clear: No more smoke at Coastal Carolina University

By Kate BurkeAug. 1, 2014, 6 a.m.

As part of our new property feature we'll be taking a look inside some of the city's premier properties.

As part of our new Feels Like Home property feature we'll be taking a look inside some of the city's premier properties and talking to the families who live there.

A sophisticated and spacious family home that embraces luxury with a country lifestyle has come onto the property market for the very first time.

The Blue Ridge Drive property, built by local master builder Steve Rigby, offers its owners resort-style living.

Owner Jo Deane-Butcher said the home was perfect for a family who liked to entertain.

"It is a great family home and a great house for entertaining," she said.

"It would also be excellent as a B & B as it has a self contained granny flat."

Including the self-contained separate accommodation, the home boasts six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a large kitchen and family room, a formal living and dining room, a large laundry and a rumpus room.

The master-built home, which has previously featured in the Spring Spectacular, overlooks approximately 2000 square metres of exquisite gardens and is embraced by a warm Northerly aspect.

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Feels like home ... Blue Ridge Drive sophistication | Photos

Pine Tree Club in Wildwood, MO

DEERFIELD, ILOak Residential Partners, LLC, has just bought three multi-family properties with a total of 670 units in two separate transactions. In the first, Deerfield, IL-based Oak acquired the 268-unit Evergreens at Mount Moriah Apartments located in Durham, NC in a joint venture with an institutional private equity group. In the second, it acquired a two-property Missouri portfolio consisting of the 252-unit Westbrooke Village Apartments in Manchester, and the 150-unit Pine Tree Club Apartments in Wildwood.

These properties, both in suburban St. Louis, were acquired in a joint venture with an internationally-based high net worth family. Oaks share of equity for the three acquisitions was contributed from its initial co-investment fund, ORP Apartment Portfolio, LLC. The fund consists of high net worth investors and family offices.

We are excited to complete these acquisitions and add these three properties to our growing portfolio of multi-family assets, says Rick Wise, managing principal of Oak Residential Partners. Our equity partners share similar investment strategies and provide us with access to capital which enables us to take advantage of great investment opportunities such as these.

The Evergreens at Mount Moriah was built in 2001 and consists of 268 apartment units in 12 garden-style buildings and 608 open parking spaces on 32.22 acres. It features unit layouts with 9-foot ceilings on lower floors and 15-foot vaulted ceilings on the top floor, a 3,500-square-foot clubhouse, fitness center, business center, outdoor pool, tennis court, beach volleyball, gazebos, and an outdoor spring fed pond. Oak has hired Greensboro, NC-based Hawthorne Residential Partners to manage the property.

Pine Tree Club Apartments, built in 1987, consists of 10 three-story buildings on concrete slab-on-grade foundations. The property has one-, two-, and three-bedroom units ranging from 805-square-feet to 1,340-square-feet. Amenities include clubhouse, fitness center, laundry center, basketball and tennis courts, hot tub, sauna, tanning bed, and carports.

Westbrooke Village Apartments was constructed in two phases. Phase one was built in 1984 and consists of 144 units in 8 three-story buildings. Phase two was built in 1986 and consists of 108 units in 6 three-story buildings. It contains one-, two-, and three-bedroom units ranging from 704-square-feet to 1,143-square-feet. Amenities include clubhouse, fitness center, laundry centers, tennis court, racquetball court, hot tub, sauna, tanning bed, garages, and carports. Oak has hired Farmington Hills, MI-based Village Green Management Co. to manage both Missouri properties.

Company officials say that although all three were well-maintained, each was also underperforming due to the previous owners lack of capital. Oak plans to launch a rebranding and repositioning program that will enhance property management, upgrade the amenities and exteriors, and make interior renovations to select units. Between the properties, Oak plans to spend about $3,500,000 on the upgrades.

All three properties provide an excellent opportunity to invest needed capital, reposition, and add significantly to the bottom line returns, says Adam Levine, managing principal of Oak Residential Partners. These opportunities fit perfectly into Oaks business strategy to improve and reposition multi-family properties achieving above average return for our investors.

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Oak Residential Acquires Three Multifamilies